Maria Wong
@mippencat.bsky.social
Cats, books, music, Common Ground on the Hill
Reposted by Maria Wong
incredible photo that's definitely worth at least 1,000 words from Andrew Harnik of Getty
November 6, 2025 at 6:10 PM
incredible photo that's definitely worth at least 1,000 words from Andrew Harnik of Getty
Reposted by Maria Wong
AXIOS: Inflation ticks up to the highest since '21. Manufacturing shrank 6 months running. Unemployed workers exceeding jobs. If Biden had numbers like that, you'd be on Fox saying, 'What's going on'?
LUTNICK: So, the economy that Trump owns starts at the end of this year
A: Doesn't work that way!
LUTNICK: So, the economy that Trump owns starts at the end of this year
A: Doesn't work that way!
September 12, 2025 at 9:41 PM
AXIOS: Inflation ticks up to the highest since '21. Manufacturing shrank 6 months running. Unemployed workers exceeding jobs. If Biden had numbers like that, you'd be on Fox saying, 'What's going on'?
LUTNICK: So, the economy that Trump owns starts at the end of this year
A: Doesn't work that way!
LUTNICK: So, the economy that Trump owns starts at the end of this year
A: Doesn't work that way!
Reposted by Maria Wong
Oh and did note the grisly/creepy stories on the front page of the Guardian? Here's a tic tac toe three in a row. n
August 6, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Oh and did note the grisly/creepy stories on the front page of the Guardian? Here's a tic tac toe three in a row. n
Reposted by Maria Wong
The Trump administration has promised to distribute food aid before it spoils. But 500 tons of emergency food in a U.S. warehouse are about to expire and are slated for the incinerator, @hana-kiros.bsky.social reports. https://theatln.tc/Vb8maoVI
July 26, 2025 at 2:00 AM
The Trump administration has promised to distribute food aid before it spoils. But 500 tons of emergency food in a U.S. warehouse are about to expire and are slated for the incinerator, @hana-kiros.bsky.social reports. https://theatln.tc/Vb8maoVI
Reposted by Maria Wong
Darren Beattie, fired from the Trump White House in 2018 after it was revealed he attended a white supremacist conference, has just been appointed acting president of the U.S. Institute of Peace, according to the State Department.
July 26, 2025 at 2:13 AM
Darren Beattie, fired from the Trump White House in 2018 after it was revealed he attended a white supremacist conference, has just been appointed acting president of the U.S. Institute of Peace, according to the State Department.
Reposted by Maria Wong
In 2016 this guy went to a law office with the goal of killing his wife’s lawyer. He hacked a woman to death with a machete and bludgeoned two other people to death (including a man he falsely thought was that lawyer), then set fire to the building to cover his tracks.
Anyway, Trump just freed him.
Anyway, Trump just freed him.
The America First geniuses managed to send hairdressers and soccer players into a gulag and *import* a triple murderer into the US. Nice work.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/w...
Convicted Murderer Released by Trump From Venezuelan Prison Is Free in U.S.
www.nytimes.com
July 25, 2025 at 3:11 PM
In 2016 this guy went to a law office with the goal of killing his wife’s lawyer. He hacked a woman to death with a machete and bludgeoned two other people to death (including a man he falsely thought was that lawyer), then set fire to the building to cover his tracks.
Anyway, Trump just freed him.
Anyway, Trump just freed him.
Reposted by Maria Wong
Oklahoma gets back $1.90 for every $1 it sends to D.C.
California gets $0.74 for every $1.
So yeah, Newsom’s not kidding.
Stitt’s “zero income tax” plan is built on California’s taxes.
Freedom for some, subsidies from others.👇
California gets $0.74 for every $1.
So yeah, Newsom’s not kidding.
Stitt’s “zero income tax” plan is built on California’s taxes.
Freedom for some, subsidies from others.👇
July 26, 2025 at 2:13 AM
Oklahoma gets back $1.90 for every $1 it sends to D.C.
California gets $0.74 for every $1.
So yeah, Newsom’s not kidding.
Stitt’s “zero income tax” plan is built on California’s taxes.
Freedom for some, subsidies from others.👇
California gets $0.74 for every $1.
So yeah, Newsom’s not kidding.
Stitt’s “zero income tax” plan is built on California’s taxes.
Freedom for some, subsidies from others.👇
Reposted by Maria Wong
jesus goddamned christ.
This is a warning shot to anyone trying to save an agency or institution that Trump-Musk-DOGE illegally try to close: "if you save it, we'll make you wish you hadn't."
This is a warning shot to anyone trying to save an agency or institution that Trump-Musk-DOGE illegally try to close: "if you save it, we'll make you wish you hadn't."
July 26, 2025 at 1:50 AM
jesus goddamned christ.
This is a warning shot to anyone trying to save an agency or institution that Trump-Musk-DOGE illegally try to close: "if you save it, we'll make you wish you hadn't."
This is a warning shot to anyone trying to save an agency or institution that Trump-Musk-DOGE illegally try to close: "if you save it, we'll make you wish you hadn't."
Reposted by Maria Wong
Texas AG Ken Paxton hired a former staffer to work on a recent case. As a state employee, her labor would have cost taxpayers $641.
As a private attorney, Paxton allowed her to bill $3,780 an hour, so that day of work cost taxpayers $24,570.
With @texastribune.org
As a private attorney, Paxton allowed her to bill $3,780 an hour, so that day of work cost taxpayers $24,570.
With @texastribune.org
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Is Outsourcing More of His Office’s Work to Costly Private Lawyers
Despite having an office of hundreds of attorneys, Ken Paxton is frequently opting for private lawyers — many to whom he has personal or political ties — to argue on behalf of Texas. One attorney cost...
www.propublica.org
July 26, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Texas AG Ken Paxton hired a former staffer to work on a recent case. As a state employee, her labor would have cost taxpayers $641.
As a private attorney, Paxton allowed her to bill $3,780 an hour, so that day of work cost taxpayers $24,570.
With @texastribune.org
As a private attorney, Paxton allowed her to bill $3,780 an hour, so that day of work cost taxpayers $24,570.
With @texastribune.org
On days like this, the reality of Trump seems especially stark danrodricks.com/2025/06/28/o...
On days like this, the reality of Trump seems especially stark
“It goes without saying.” . . . People use that phrase when they’re about to state something everyone within earshot knows. Or they might start a sentence with, “Needless to say,” which bears the s…
danrodricks.com
June 28, 2025 at 10:32 PM
On days like this, the reality of Trump seems especially stark danrodricks.com/2025/06/28/o...
Reposted by Maria Wong
July 7-11 DCBU Bluegrass & Old-Time Camp! Workshops for all skill levels, and World Village for kids! Includes evening concerts, Keynote lecture, visual arts talks, and late night jams. On the campus of McDaniel College in Westminster, MD. www.commongroundonthehill.org/experience/p...
April 25, 2025 at 3:03 PM
July 7-11 DCBU Bluegrass & Old-Time Camp! Workshops for all skill levels, and World Village for kids! Includes evening concerts, Keynote lecture, visual arts talks, and late night jams. On the campus of McDaniel College in Westminster, MD. www.commongroundonthehill.org/experience/p...
The interesting thing is that according to our own Justice Department, MS-13 began restricting tattoos (c. 2015) on its members precisely bc law enforcement was using them to ID them. Members have to get permission, which means fewer people would have them over last decade
April 20, 2025 at 2:01 AM
Reposted by Maria Wong
American Oversight put together a timeline showing how participants in the Waltz/Hegseth Signal chat continued to make changes AFTER Judge Boasberg ordered them to preserve the chat.
But that's ALSO after Wicker and Reed asked DOD IG to investigate.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
But that's ALSO after Wicker and Reed asked DOD IG to investigate.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
April 17, 2025 at 12:09 PM
American Oversight put together a timeline showing how participants in the Waltz/Hegseth Signal chat continued to make changes AFTER Judge Boasberg ordered them to preserve the chat.
But that's ALSO after Wicker and Reed asked DOD IG to investigate.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
But that's ALSO after Wicker and Reed asked DOD IG to investigate.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
You don't say.
Remote work doesn't diminish the power of ethical leadership, according to business scholars. New research shows employees feel more committed and perform better when leaders demonstrate integrity, even in virtual environments. buff.ly/YRUY3Rt
Ethical leadership can boost well-being and performance in remote work environments
Researchers found that when salespeople perceived their leaders as ethical, they felt more committed to the organization.
theconversation.com
April 18, 2025 at 2:41 AM
You don't say.
Glad that Chris Van Hollen is my senator
I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return.
April 18, 2025 at 2:38 AM
Glad that Chris Van Hollen is my senator
Reposted by Maria Wong
This is important.
At Law Dork, I wrote about that Oval Office visit — and what it means:
Trump told us the horrifying reason why Kilmar Abrego Garcia is not back in the U.S.
The Trump administration wants to send Americans to foreign prisons. Keeping Abrego Garcia in El Salvador is key to that lawless plan.
www.lawdork.com
April 15, 2025 at 1:57 AM
This is important.
Reposted by Maria Wong
Using their own words against them.
April 11, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Using their own words against them.
Reposted by Maria Wong
Rich people live longer than poor people in the US and Europe – but rich Americans have far shorter lifespans than rich people in northern, western and southern Europe.
Americans die earlier at all wealth levels, even if wealth buys more years of life in the US than in Europe
New research shows that Americans’ personal wealth is not enough to compensate for factors that affect how long people live, such as health behaviors, education or social support.
buff.ly
April 12, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Rich people live longer than poor people in the US and Europe – but rich Americans have far shorter lifespans than rich people in northern, western and southern Europe.
Reposted by Maria Wong
Hey TEXANS,
Get LOUD, get OUT, and demand change…👇
Like NOW!! ✨
Get LOUD, get OUT, and demand change…👇
Like NOW!! ✨
April 8, 2025 at 7:28 AM
Hey TEXANS,
Get LOUD, get OUT, and demand change…👇
Like NOW!! ✨
Get LOUD, get OUT, and demand change…👇
Like NOW!! ✨
Each step goes a little further
They’re going to keep pushing until something stops them.
Deeply concerning: US citizen lawyer getting detained and his phone searched on reentering the U.S. at Customs. www.freep.com/story/news/l...
April 8, 2025 at 3:10 AM
Each step goes a little further
Reposted by Maria Wong
"Thus far, the review of the Naval Academy's Library’s holdings has identified 900 books that may run afoul of Hegseth’s order... They include “The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr.” and a biography on Jackie Robinson..."
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/28/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/28/u...
Naval Academy Takes Steps to End Diversity Policies in Books and Admissions
The defense secretary’s office has ordered that some books be removed from circulation in its library, and the academy has ended the use of affirmative action in admissions.
www.nytimes.com
March 31, 2025 at 6:39 PM
"Thus far, the review of the Naval Academy's Library’s holdings has identified 900 books that may run afoul of Hegseth’s order... They include “The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr.” and a biography on Jackie Robinson..."
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/28/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/28/u...
Reposted by Maria Wong
"The problem with a delayed response is that the more power leaders with authoritarian tendencies accumulate, the harder it is to mount an effective resistance. The opposition is thus more likely to succeed if it acts early..."
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
How to Save a Democracy
Americans can learn from opponents of authoritarianism elsewhere.
www.foreignaffairs.com
March 31, 2025 at 5:16 PM
"The problem with a delayed response is that the more power leaders with authoritarian tendencies accumulate, the harder it is to mount an effective resistance. The opposition is thus more likely to succeed if it acts early..."
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
Reposted by Maria Wong
This is what corruption looks like.
March 31, 2025 at 2:48 AM
This is what corruption looks like.
Reposted by Maria Wong
remember what i said about RFK Jr. being a eugenicist first and foremost? www.marketwatch.com/story/agency...
Agency for older adults, people with disabilities to be shuttered under HHS cuts
In 2022, the Administration for Community Living provided more than 261 million meals to older adults, assistance such as respite care to more than 1.5 million family caregivers, and independent-livin...
www.marketwatch.com
March 30, 2025 at 11:54 PM
remember what i said about RFK Jr. being a eugenicist first and foremost? www.marketwatch.com/story/agency...
Reposted by Maria Wong
Reading the admin’s latest court filing for fun, as one does, and I notice (again) something I’ve seen in all the filings and statements in re: Tren de Aragua. They keep saying that it’s is a foreign terrorist org, currently “engaged in a campaign of terror, murder and kidnapping” in the US.
March 29, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Reading the admin’s latest court filing for fun, as one does, and I notice (again) something I’ve seen in all the filings and statements in re: Tren de Aragua. They keep saying that it’s is a foreign terrorist org, currently “engaged in a campaign of terror, murder and kidnapping” in the US.